LIFE FOR BIODIVERSITY
LIFE FOR BIODIVERSITY
The Importance of Ecosystems Conservation in Biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity encompasses not only species that are rare, threatened, or endangered but also all forms of life, from humans to organisms we are less familiar with, such as microbes, fungi, and invertebrates.
Biodiversity is important to most aspects of our lives. It is valued both for what it provides to humans, and for the value it has in its own right. Utilitarian values include the many basic needs humans obtain from biodiversity such as food security, climate change resistance, medicine, human protection and fuel.
Ecosystems provide essential services such as pollination, spread seeds, regulate our climate, purify water, recycle nutrients properly, and even control pests that threaten crops.
Preserving the health of ecosystems ensures access to food through to vital role of animal pollinators and other key resources, such as the active ingredients of certain medicines contained in plants and herbs. Healthy and diverse ecosystems maintain natural balance by contributing to air and water purification, climate regulation and flood prevention.
Biodiversity also offers the potential for discovering new medicines and other yet-unknown services that could benefit humanity.
Biodiversity is important to most aspects of our lives. It is valued both for what it provides to humans, and for the value it has in its own right. Utilitarian values include the many basic needs humans obtain from biodiversity such as food security, climate change resistance, medicine, human protection and fuel.
Ecosystems provide essential services such as pollination, spread seeds, regulate our climate, purify water, recycle nutrients properly, and even control pests that threaten crops.
Preserving the health of ecosystems ensures access to food through to vital role of animal pollinators and other key resources, such as the active ingredients of certain medicines contained in plants and herbs. Healthy and diverse ecosystems maintain natural balance by contributing to air and water purification, climate regulation and flood prevention.
Biodiversity also offers the potential for discovering new medicines and other yet-unknown services that could benefit humanity.
PHENGARIS ARION
LARGE BLUE BUTTERFLY
LARGE BLUE BUTTERFLY
Biodiversity is under increasing pressure from human activities, with species across ecosystems facing unprecedented threats. The Large Blue butterfly (Phengaris arion) serves as a striking example of how habitat loss, fragmentation, and other human-induced changes impact wildlife. Over the last century, human dominance has extensively modified habitats, leading to what many call the "Anthropocene." Current rates of biodiversity loss threaten ecological stability on a global scale. Major direct threats to species like the Large Blue include habitat destruction, unsustainable resource use, invasive species, pollution, and climate change. The underlying causes of these threats, such as population growth and overconsumption, are complex and interconnected.
Large Blue, is highly dependent on specific grassland ecosystems, particularly those shaped by low-intensity farming, where Wild Thyme (Thymus polytrichus) or Oregano (Origanum vulgare) and host ant species Myrmica sabuleti are found in abundance.
The butterfly's life cycle is uniquely adapted to these conditions, relying on a delicate balance between plant availability and its symbiotic relationship with the host ants.
The butterfly's life cycle is uniquely adapted to these conditions, relying on a delicate balance between plant availability and its symbiotic relationship with the host ants.
Large Blue exhibits a unique relationship with the ant species Myrmica sabuleti, relying on them during specific periods of its larval and pupal stages.
This intricate ecological interdependence underscores the butterfly's vulnerability to habitat disruption and loss.
The butterfly larvae engage in obligatory myrmecophily, attracting ants with a mix of sugars and amino acids secreted from their dorsal glands and mimicking the shape of ant larvae. This relationship begins when the butterfly larvae, after an initial phase of feeding on host plants reach the ground and employ advanced mimicry to infiltrate ant colonies.
This intricate ecological interdependence underscores the butterfly's vulnerability to habitat disruption and loss.
The butterfly larvae engage in obligatory myrmecophily, attracting ants with a mix of sugars and amino acids secreted from their dorsal glands and mimicking the shape of ant larvae. This relationship begins when the butterfly larvae, after an initial phase of feeding on host plants reach the ground and employ advanced mimicry to infiltrate ant colonies.
Once inside the ant nests, the butterfly larva eats ant larvae until it pupates the following spring. Butterfly larva can consume over 200 ant larvae during their development, potentially declining the ant population.
The species is of significant conservation concern due to its specialized habitat requirements, grasslands, and the threat posed by habitat degradation and loss.
The decline of Large Blue is primarily attributed to habitat loss and degradation due to:
The decline of Large Blue is primarily attributed to habitat loss and degradation due to:
agricultural intensification that reduces the diversity and abundance of wildflowers like Wild Thyme and negatively impacts the nesting sites of Myrmica sabuleti;
changes in land use such as urbanization or afforestation, which fragment or eliminate the open grassland ecosystems critical for the butterfly's survival.
abandonment of traditional land management practices such as low-intensity grazing or mowing, leading to overgrown vegetation, including shrubs (Rosa canina, Prunus spinosa, Rubus fruticosus) and tall grasses that renders habitats unsuitable for both host plants and ants.